Born in Burlington, Vermont on March 26, 1930, Joan was the daughter of the late Robert and Rachel Marshall. She was raised and educated in Holyoke, Massachusetts and attended Bay Path College in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. On June 23, 1951, she married Robert Fletcher Stewart with whom she shared 36 wonderful years. They were a great team, and Joan cheered Bob on as he moved up the corporate ladder moving 14 times in 21 years, including several cities in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut; Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania; and Glenview and Prospect Heights, Illinois. They enjoyed touring the East Coast on Yacht Pinnacle, summering in Essex, Connecticut and wintering in front of the home they purchased in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Bob passed away in 1987 and Joan stayed in the Prospect Heights home until she moved into the Florida house in 1995. Subsequently, Joan continued enjoying boating with family and friends for many years in South Florida, the Keys, and Bahamas. She was a member of the Seabird Yacht Club and the Ocean Reef Club. Her leisure interests also included golf, horseback riding, jigsaw puzzles, and playing the card game “Beep”. She was particularly proud of the hole-in-one she made at Pebble Beach.
Looking back on her life, everyone who met Joan loved her. She was a charismatic woman who radiated positive emotions to everyone around her and made them feel like they were part of the family. She was of the Presbyterian faith.
Joan is survived by her two daughters, Carolyn M. Stewart, and Eleanor S. Heidbrink and son-in-law F. Dirk Heidbrink; her grandchildren, Katherine A. Jasieniecki and husband Carl, Kristen E. Knauer, and Frederick Robert Heidbrink and his significant other Molly Anne Gainey; and her great-grandchildren, Jeremiah A. Cadet and Hanna Joan Jasieniecki. She also leaves her sister-in-law Margaret Stewart and her children Meredith and Matthew.
The family will honor and commemorate Joan’s life at a private time. By family request, in lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Funeral services and Inurnment in Memorial Gardens in Skokie, Illinois will be held privately and at the convenience of the family.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Kraeer-Fairchild Funeral Home.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18